Steel car and door mechanism therefor.



(Application filed Feb. 23, 1899 3 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Model.)

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N0. 644,890. Patented Mar. 6, I900.

A. B. BELLUWS. STEEL CAR AND DOOR MECHANISM THEREFOR (Application filedFeb. 23, 1899.)

3 Shaets-Sheet 34 (No Model.)

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* ran dramas ARTHUR B. BEL LOWS, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

STEEL. CAR AND DOOR MECHANISM THEREFOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 644,890, dated March 6,1900.

Application filed February 23, 1899. Serial No. 706,447. (No model.)

To att c/Loin it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR B. BELLOWS, of Pittsburg, in the county ofAllegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Steel Cars and Door Mechanism Therefor, of which thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, inwhich- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of my improved carlooking upwardly. Fig. 2 is an end elevation-of the same, partly brokenaway. Fig. 3 is a side elevation showing the end portion of the car.Fig. 4 is an enlarged side elevation, partly in section, showing one ofthe doors with its operating mechanism. Fig. 5 is a detail bottom planview of the door slide and catch, and Fig. 6 is a detail showing themanner of closing the door.

My invention relates to the construction of steel cars for railroadswherein doors are not used which extend down to the floor-line and tothe door-operating mechanism therefor; and its object is to decrease theweight of these cars by doing away with the heavy side sills which haveheretofore been used in this class of cars and, further, to provide asimple and effective door-operating mechanism.

In the drawings, 2 is the car bottom, having the lower centrallongitudinal sill 3, which is composed of two channels placed back toback and riveted to the bottom, with a space between their webs. Thebottom is further provided at suitable intervals with cross-sills 4,composed of sections of channels having their upper flanges riveted tothe car-bottom and their inner ends secured to the center sill bysuitable angles 5. The outer ends of these cross-sills protrude beyondthe sides 6 of the car-body and are riveted to verticalstrengthening-angles 7, which are themselves riveted to the sides of thecar. The sides are secured to the bottom by the interior angles S, andalong the upper edge of each side is riveted an angle 9, with its flangeturned outwardly. Along the inner faces of the sides and at suitableintervals are preferably secured vertical strengthening-gussets 10. Theexternal strengthening-pieces 7 for the sides at the points above thebody bolsters are preferably formed of two angles, as showniu Fig. 3,these angles extending down and being riveted to the end portion of thebolster.

The body-bolster-proper consists of a webplate 11, extending verticallyfrom each side of the center sill to the side and having an gles 12 and13 riveted on each side thereof along its top and bottom. The bottom ofthe bolster is formed by a continuous plate 14, extending from side toside of the car and having the side bearings 15 secured thereto. At theends of each web-plate 11 are riveted the angle-plates 16, the inner ofwhich is riveted to the channel of the center sill, while the outer isriveted to the strengthening member 7. Short horizontal sections ofchannels 17 are secured within the center sill between the bolsterportions, and short vertical sections 18 may be riveted between thechannels of the center sill at any suitable points throughout itslength.

It will be seen that in the car as thus con structed the sides of thecar constitute plate girders, which carry their proportion of thematerial or load in the car, replacing the ordinary side sills used forthis purpose. This plate-girder construction of the sides does away withthese heavy side sills below the floor-level of the car, and thus notonly reduces the weight of the car, but allows easy access to the partssupported below its bottom. This is an important feature of myinvention, and I intend to cover the same broadly irrespective of theparticular construction of the car. I;

On either side of the center of the car are provided dumping-openings oneach side of the center sill, each opening being closed by a swingingdoor 19, pivoted at 20 to the crosssills. Each door consists of a web-plate strengthened by suitable angles, as shown, and is operated bylinks 21, pivoted to slides 22 upon the door and pivotally connected attheir other ends with levers 23, secured to a common shaft 24, extendingacross the car and carried at its ends in bearings 25. The

bearings 25 are supported. upon hangers 26, and the central portion ofthe shaft is carried in a hanger composed of two channels 27, rivetedwithin the centersill. Endwise movement of the shaft is prevented bysmall pins 28, driven through the shaft on each side of the channels 27.The links 21 are made in two parts connected by a turnbuckle, so thatthey may be adjusted in length, and their pivotal joints with theactuating-levers are provided with lips 29,which prevent the downwardmovement of these joints beyond the point where the links extend in linewith the cranks, as shown in Fig. 4. The slides 22 extend through straps30, secured to the bottom of the door, and their forward ends projectthrough slots in the angles 31, secured to the door, the endwisemovement of the slide being limited by side lugs 32 thereon. Swinginglatches 33 are pivoted to the cross-sill in front'of the door and areprovided with forward arms 34, having cotter-pins 35, which limit thebackward swing of the latches.

- Each latch is provided at its lower end with a counterweight 36, whichnormally swings it into position to engage and support its slide, asshown in Fig. 4.

The operation of the doors is as follows: The doors being closed, awrench is applied to the squared end of the shaft 24:, and this shaft isturned so as to swing its lever-arms upwardly. This movement through theconnecting-links draws back the slides sufficiently to disengage themfrom their latches, and the doors then drop into a vertical position,the levers and links assuming the positions shown in dotted lines inFig. l. In closing the doors, the shaft being rocked in the oppositedirection, the slides are first pushed forward to their limit ofmovement, and the doors are then swung up. As they move into closedposition the slides pass the counterweight of the latches and then,contacting with theinclined faces of the latches, push them back, asshown in Fig. 6, and on reaching the closed position the counterweightsautomatically swing the latches under the slides to support them.

The advantages of my invent-ion will be apparent to those skilled in theart. 1 The use of the plate-girder sides does away with the heavy sidesills heretofore used below the floor-line and gives a strong and lightconstruction. The door is automatically unlatched and opened by merelyrocking the actuating-shaft and is automatically locked when swung upinto closed position. The center sill may be made from I-beams. Thedoor-actuating shaft may extend longitudinally of the car, and manyother changes may be made in the form and arrangement of the car, thedoors, and the actuating mechanism therefor without departing from myinvention, since I claim- 1. A steel car having a central longitudinalsill and plate-girder sides provided with vertical strengtheningmembers, said sides terminating at the floor-level and secured direct] yto the bottom, and arranged to take the entire strain usually carried bythe side sills, whereby said side sills are dispensed with;substantially as described.

2. A steel car, having a longitudinal center sill and cross-sills, andplate-girder sides having strengthening members secured to thecross-sills; substantially as described.

3. A steel car having a longitudinal center sill composed of twochannels with their upper flanges secured to the car-bottom, cross=sills composed of channel-sections secured to the car-bottom and to thecenter sill,and plategirder sides secured directly to the bottom andarranged to assist in supporting the Weight; substantially as described.

4. A steel car having plate-girder sides provided with inner and outervertical strengthening members, the outer strengthening membersbeingsecured at their lower ends to crosssills; substantially asdescribed.

5. A car having a vertically-swinging door in its bottom, a horizontalrock-shaft, an automatic latch on the door arranged to engage thecar-bottom and hold the door in closed position, and a lever on therock-shaft having link connection with the latch and arranged to operateit and open and close the door; substantially as described.

6. A car having a swinging bottom door, a horizontal rock-shaft havinglever connections arranged to open and close the door, and an automaticlatch upon the door connected with the lever mechanism and arranged tobe positively opened and closed thereby; substantially as described.

7. A car having a swinging bottom door, lever connections arranged toopen and close the same, a movable latch supported beneath the car-bod yand an automatic latch upon the door connected with and actuated by thedoor swinging mechanism, said automatic latch cooperating with themovable latch on the carbody; substantially as described.

8. A carhavinga swinging bottom door pro vided with a locking-slide, arock-shaft having a lever with a pivotal link connection to the slide,and an automatic latch arranged to engage the slide when the door isthrowninto closed position; substantially as described.

9. A car having a swinging bottom door provided with a slide, arock-shaft havinga leverarm provided with a link connected to the slide,the joint between the lever and the link having limiting-lugs, and anautomatic swinging latch arranged to engage the slide; substantially asdescribed.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

ARTHUR B. BELLOWS.

Witnesses:

II. M. CORWIN, M. S. MURPHY.

